Apparatus and method for the preparation of pimento



Decl 11, 1951 G. w. ASHLOCK, JR

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF PIMENTO 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 21, 1950 I N VEN TOR. fan/ye flMM/ac/gh 4 lrro/emsy Dec. 11, 1951 G. w. ASHLOCK, JR 2,578,496

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF PIMENTO 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 21, 1950 fed/ye Dec. 11, 1951 G. w. ASHLOCK, JR 2,578,496

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF PIMENTO Filed Feb. 21, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet '5 FII3 IEI- IN VEN TOR.

Dec. 11, 1951 G. w. ASHLOCK, JR ,4

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF PIMENTO Filed Feb. 21, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheei 4 INVENTOR.

imi

lira/Mir Patented Dec. 11,1951

OFFICE APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR THE PREPARATION OF PIMENTQ George W. Ashlock, Jr., Oakland, Calif.

pp o February 2 .9.59, S ri o- 145,466

, 1 C a m. 1 T s in t n elat s t a ma h ne d-meth for prepa i g m ria a d par c la y nim nt in a form suitable for stufling i oli e othe fruit; the invent on additionally re ates to a machine and a m t od. for pr par ng edi le m terial such as a Pimen o nto a shee havin substantially uniform thickness,

The usual material used in stufiing olives is pimento which, as produced vby nature, includes segmental ribs which stand rigidly above the adjacent surface so the pimento is of an uneven thickness. When it is attempted to cut a sheet including such a rib into pieces of a uniform size and volume for stuffing into an olive, the rib provides an uneven area interfering seriously with the ease and rapidity of stuffing.

It is a broad object of this invention to provide a method for forming a pimento stufiing material having substantially uniform thickness.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine for forming a stuffing material of a uniform thickness, particularly pimento.

I have found that the/ribsridgesand other unevenness on a pimento can be eliminated and a sheet of substantially uniform thickness prepared by the gradual application of increasing pressure to the pimento. If the increase of pressure is sufiiciently gradual and the maximum pressure of the correct order of magnitude, the ridges on the pimento skin will becompressed to form a sheet of uniform thickness without appreciably altering the color or the physical texture of the adjacent areas of the pimento.

The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, togetherwith the foregoing, willappearhereinafter wherein the present preferred form of the machine for practicing the invention will be disclosed, and the pre ferred method of preparing thestuffing material for stufiing into an olive.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof,

Figure l is aside elevation, partially in section, of one side of a machine embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevationof the other side of the machine.

Figure 3 is a section taken along line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a section taken along the line 4-4 in Figure 2.

The machine is supported in a suitable frame structure having two parallel side plates I and 2 secured together in a spaced parallel relationship by several spacer bolts 5 and having a cover ID.

A first conveyor structure is mounted on the lower portion of the frame and includes on one end thereof a roller 4 journalled for rotation about a shaft 6, which in turn is supported at one end by the side plate I and at its other end til shaft l8 by a set screw ll.

by the side plate 2; one end is secured to side plate I by .a nut l and a washer 4! while the other end is secured to side plate 2 by nut 9 and washer 42. Washers 8 and I I serve to space the roller 4 from the respective side plates 5 and 2. The shaft 6 includes a hollow lubricant channel 12 communicating between a grease fitting l3 and a lubricant reservoir it which is located on the roller 4 adjacent to the shaft 6.

On the other end of the conveyor structure is a driver roll [6 which is secured to a rotatable One end of shaft I8 is journalled in a bearing located within a bearing housing 19. Bolts 2! and 22 pass through the side plate I to secure the bearing housing l9 adjustably thereto. The other end of the shaft I8 is journalled in a bearing located within a bearing housing 23 which passes through the side plate 2. Bolts 24 and 25 secure the bearing hous- .ing 23 adjustably to the side plate 2. Two washr 2;! and 23 space the roller It from the bearing housings 23 and iii. A gear wheel 29 is secured for rotation to the end of the shaft I 8 passing through fromplate I.

The conveyor structure is completed by a continuous belt passing around the pulley i6 and the pulley i. The tension on this belt 35 is ad- ,The run of the conveyor belt 36 is additionally supported by a plate 5| passing under the upper vportion of the continuous belt 35, with the support plate being secured to frame plates i and 2 by a multiple of bolts 52.

A second conveyor is mounted above and gradually converges on the first conveyor structure. This structure, on the fee-cl end of the apparatus, includes a roller 54 which is mounted rotatably about a shaft 55 extending on one end through an elongated slot 57 on the side plate I and on the other end through a slot in side plate 2. The shafttt is secured in the slot 511 by a nut 58 which bears against a ring 59 and is secured in the slot t! by a nut 62 bearing against the ring 63. Washers E i and (it serve to space the roll 54 away from the side plates l and 2. A lubricant passage 67 communicates between a grease fitting 68 on washer 58 and a lubricant reservoir 69 located in the roller E l adjacent to the shaft 56.

On the other end of the second conveyor is a drive roll l'l secured for rotation with a drive shaft 12 which passes through bearing 13 located within a bearing housing 15. The vertical position of the shaft 12 is adjusted within the asvaaee 3 vertically elongated slot I9 by the movement of adjustment screws 74 and I6 threading through members TI and I8 which in turn are welded to side of side plate 2. When the proper vertical position of the roll II obtains for correct thickness of material passing thereunder, the bearand 88 which pass through nuts 89 and 93 Welded to the side plates I and 2. Adjustment screws 81 and 88 bear against the washers 59 and 63 passing about the shaft 56; the lateral position of shaft 56 Within the horizontally elongated slots 6| and can be adjusted by the screws 81 and 88.

A lateral guide plate 92 is secured cooperatively adjacent to the belt 36 and the side plate 2 by bolts 93 passing through the side plate 2.

An L-shaped scraper plate 94 extends between the side plate I and the side plate 2 and is mounted thereto by one of bolts 5. The lower edge of the scraper plate 94 is cooperatively adjacent to the lower portion of the roller 'II to scrape material from the belt 86 passing under the roll II.

Rearwardly of the roll I! is a cutting structure hereinafter described. With particular reference to Figure 4, a rotatable shaft 96 passes through bearings 91 and 38 in bearing housings 99 and IIiI with the latter being'located within vertically elongated slots I32 and I03 in the frame plates I and 2. The vertical position of the bearing housings 99 and IUI is controlled by adjustment means including vertically positioned adjustment screws I64 and I96 passing through members I61 and I66 welded to frame plate I and vertically positioned adjustment screws I99 and III passing through members H2 and II3 welded on frame plate 2. The bearing housing IIJI is additionally secured in position on the side plate 2 by the securing means shown in Figure 1. A similar securing means on side plate I for bearing housing 99 is obscured by the driving mechanism hereinafter described. On side plate 2 bearing housing WI is secured by bolts HI and I22 passing through vertically elongated slots I23 and I24, with the bolts threading into a portion of housing IflI on the inside of side plate 2. These bolts are loosened while the vertical position of the shaft 96 is adjusted and are later tightened to secure rigidly the shaft 96 in position.

With particular reference to Figure 4, the shaft 96 is shown with a knife carrying sleeve I2E' fixed on shaft 96 by a set screw I26. The sleeve I21 has an enlarged annular portion I28 and a threaded end I3 I. Adjacent to the annular portion I28 are several parallel spaced circular knives I32 separated by spacers I34. The spacers and the knives are secured by a nut I42 and a lock nut I43 on the end I3I of the sleeve I2'I.

With reference to Figure 2, the conveyors and knives are driven by a suitable prime mover I44, which is fastened by bolts I46 to the frame member I9 connecting the upper edges of the side plates I and 2. The prime mover I44 drives a shaft I4! to which is secured a spocket I48. A drive chain I5I is driven by the spocket I48 and in turn drives a sprocket I52 which is secured to the end of shaft I2 to rotate roller II in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 2. A sprocket I53 mounted for rotation about a shaft I54 on plate I, drives a second gear I56 which is mounted to rotate with sprocket I53. The gear 29 is secured to the end of the shaft I8 and is engaged with the gear I58 to rotate clockwise when the gear I56 is driven counter-clockwise by the drive chain I5I. The shaft 96 is driven in a counter clockwise direction by a sprocket I39 mounted thereon, engaging with the chain i5I. A scraper blade I6I is provided at the front of the machine between the plates I and 2 to remove material adhering to the belt 36.

In operation, power is supplied to the prime mover and, with reference to Figure 2, the upper conveying portion of the conveyor belt 33 moves from the left-hand to the right-hand side from the figure while the lower compressing portion of the compressor belt 86 moves in the same oirection. Material to be conditioned, and prepared by usual means and methods, is placed by an operator on the feed or left end of the conveyor against the lateral guide 92 and passes beneath the compressor belt 89 and the compressor roll II. Because the compressor belt 96 gradually converges on the conveyor belt 36 (see Figure 2), the material placed on the conveyor belt by the operator will have a gradually increased pressure placed thereon, until a maximum pressure obtains when the material passes under the roll H. The material is scraped from the belt 86 by the scraper 9d and passes as a flat sheet having uniform thickness along the conveyor belt 66. The cutting knives I32 cut the fiat sheet into strips of uniform width. Pimento and like materials are thereby prepared of a uniform thickness and width for stufiing into an olive and the like.

I claim:

A process for stuffing olives and the like, consisting essentially in first gradually applying a constantly increasing pressure to a pimento strip by subjecting the same to gradually converging pressing surfaces of rotating rollers thus to form the pimento permanently into a fiat sheet having substantially uniform sectional thickness with the ridges on the pimento skin compressed without appreciably altering the color and physical texture of adjacent areas of the pimento, thereafter cutting said sheet into strips having uniform width with a gang of rotating knives, and then finally filling the cavities of previously pitted olives with pimento from said strips.

GEORGE W. ASHLOCK, J R.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 41,637 Pease Feb. 16, 1864 349,075 Bernard et a1 Sept. 14, 1886 1,469,744 Wessale Oct. 2, 1923 2,131,851 Anstice Oct. 5, 1938 2,212,066 Fry Aug. 20, 1940 2,349,212 Urschel et a1 May 16, 1944 2,384,429 Ball Sept. 11, 1945 2,454,316 Haecks Nov. 23, 1948 

